


Polarity

by Tobiroth



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alpha Cloud, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Bottom Cloud, Dominant Sephiroth, M/M, No mpreg, Nontraditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Sephiroth, Top Sephiroth, True Mates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-14
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-27 13:37:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15686481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tobiroth/pseuds/Tobiroth
Summary: Cloud Strife is an alpha - though a fairly nonstandard one. While he got shunned in Nibelheim, his uniqueness is, surprisingly, an asset in Midgar and at ShinRa, a place that tends to attract extremes of every stereotype and those that, well, stray outside them a bit.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For Cloud's Birthday Week 2k18 - some a/b/o because the theme of this year is 'self-indulgent stuff that makes Tobi happy.' :)

Because having the chance to beat the shit out of each other with swords, with materia, and with fists on the regular wasn't enough, the alphas of ShinRa's infantry had developed over time all sorts of small challenges and tests to pit themselves against each other to see who was the toughest, the coolest, or the most dominant.

"Strife, come ref this!"

Cloud was three chapters deep in the book he had to read for his tactics class - a novel, for once, about a small unit of guys stuck in enemy territory with dwindling morale and supplies. He didn't look away from his paragraph, lying on his stomach on his bunk, and answered loudly, "Fuck off."

Someone laughed, and then the first voice - his buddy Imran - whined, "C'monnn."

"Strife," hollered someone else across the room, "Don't be boring!"

"Cloud!"

"Striiiiife."

"We need you!"

Stubbornly, Cloud finished his paragraph, then dog-eared the book and climbed out of bed with a sigh. A couple members of the room packed with alphas ribbed him as he went to the two in the center of the room, surrounded by the others.

It was like a fight club, except actual fighting was prohibited outside of combat-designated spaces. The hotheaded alphas of ShinRa's Infantry Division found ways around it.

As the rest of the boys crowded around, Cloud positioned himself between Imran and Elias, the challenger. Cloud knew all the rules to these games.

"Tip Over?" he asked.

Both boys nodded enthusiastically, planting their feet and bending their knees such that they were stable and had a low center of gravity. Cloud explained the rules even though everyone here probably knew them by heart. "Feet can't move. If you take a step back, you're out. You can go on tiptoes or back on your heels. Groin shot and you're out. Pull hair and you're out. No fists or you're out." Dryly, Cloud glanced at a boy behind him, eagerly watching. "Hit  _me_ , and you're out."

_Oooooh,_ some people cooed, and Kasper at least looked apologetic. Cloud had a black eye for a week after that incident, and one of his other friends in the room had tried to beat up Kasper for punching Cloud, which escalated into a bigger fight and… it hadn't been pretty.

Cloud stepped back. "Go!"

Immediately Elias, one of the biggest and strongest alphas around, reached out and pushed. Imran caught his hands, though, and they struggled, snarling into each others' faces. As the guy by the door cheered them on, Cloud kept his gaze on their socked feet for any small movements.

Imran jabbed Elias' shoulder with the heel of his hand, as close to a punch as they could get without punishment.

_Smack_  - a heel bash across Imran's jaw, and then a devastating push to his chest. Imran's back bowed as he nearly fell over…. Except his feet hadn't moved, and now he had his fists in the front of Elias' shirt. The other alpha was now bending forward, and he had no choice but to tow Imran back up or they'd both fall over.

Their fingers clasped together after that, their biceps bulging, teeth bared.

Then Imran smashed his forehead into Elias' nose, and the alpha fell to the ground clutching his face.

Cloud held Imran's hand above his head, the boy beaming even as he blinked the pain of the headbutt away. Then Cloud dropped it and went to his knees beside Elias.

This was the tricky part. Take an alpha who'd just won a battle - fine, whatever. Take an alpha who just  _lost_ a battle - they were often desperate to reassert themselves and save some face. They'd even fight the person trying to help them.

The rest of the boys mostly left this part to the less aggressive alphas or a beta, which was why Cloud so often was roped into refereeing. That, and no one really would get into his face to question why he declared someone the winner.

"Hey." Cloud grabbed Elias' shoulders, tense and drawn in. "Elias. You need a potion?"

The other alpha snarled at him, moving his hands to reveal a blood-smeared face. Those eyes were wild, pupils narrowed into pinpricks.

Cloud did not back down. "Hey," he said, a bit more softly. "You're covered, man, come on." At a gentle touch to his hands, Elias' erratic breathing began to slow. He nodded and Cloud helped him to his feet.

"Damn, dude," came a voice over his shoulder, "That's a lot of blood!"

It was a lot of blood, but it wasn't Cloud's problem, and he flopped back onto his bunk while pretending not to notice the three or four boners that had appeared from the obnoxious display of masculinity and alpha-ness.

He resolutely ignored his own cock's half-hardness and went back to his book.

* * *

Some of Cloud's COs and instructors took advantage of Cloud's… unique talents. One of his favorites, Lieutenant Patel, asked him to deliver a dagger to one of his drillmates. It wasn't really appropriate for a CO to go to someone's bunk.

They were separated by gender identity, and the recipient - Renée - was a girl and an omega besides. Not just  _any_ alpha could be trusted to deliver it without unnecessary weirdness.

"Thanks, Strife," Lieutenant Patel said, clapping him on the back. She smiled at him. "Have you fixed your posture problems in your hand-to-hand, by the way?"

A few minutes later, still grumbling, Cloud turned down the hall that held all the girls' barracks. Alphas, betas, and omegas all cohabitated here, like on the boys' side (all the non-binary folks shared one or two large rooms with bunk beds, and from what he'd heard from his one friend, it was the most comfortable place to sleep in the whole infantry).

It just happened that all fifteen of the boys in Cloud's bunk were alphas… which probably was on purpose, now that he thought about it, or perhaps not. The other dozen or so boys' rooms were all mixed, though.

Renée was, what, in room E? The fifth one had about eight girls in it at the moment, and Cloud knocked on the open door politely, his head poking inside. The alphas wouldn't have liked it if he'd barged in.

Eyes flicked to him, a few mildly hostile at first until they realized it was just Cloud Strife, and then they relaxed.

"Delivery for ya, Renée," he said, holding up the small bag with the carefully-wrapped dagger inside.

"Oh! Come in," she called from the top bunk across the room.

Cloud did, and when she gestured for him to climb up, he toed off his boots and crawled up there, blushing slightly.

"Re _néeeeee_ ," cat-called another one of Cloud's peers. She made a kissy face at them.

"It's not like that," Cloud said, waving her away.

Whether Renée wanted it to be like that or not it didn't matter - it was  _not_. She tucked her dreads over one shoulder and smiled at him, her teeth gleaming white when contrasted with her dark skin. Cloud passed over the dagger and watched curiously as she opened it up.

She smelled… really nice. The sheets smelled a bit of sweat but mostly of fruity body wash and shampoo. She wasn't wearing scent blockers - most folks around here didn't bother, since they all exerted them off before noon anyway. He, like most people, was sensitive to the smells of those around him. He could smell aggression, anger, arousal, and more, depending on how close to someone he was. The smell of an unmated omega around his age always made him a bit dizzy… and yeah, okay, maybe an omega's bed really wasn't the safest place to be sitting.

Most of Cloud's alpha friends would be extremely jealous to see where he was right now.

The dagger was pretty cool; it had a spot in the handle for materia. "Ellen," Renée called; an alpha girl who'd been pouting as she watched them out of the corner of her eye snapped to attention.

"Yeah?"

"Toss me a Blizzard?"

Renée caught the tiny blue orb, and as she popped it in the hilt Cloud considered the possibility of Ellen nursing a crush on Renée. Small lines of brilliant blue color spread up the blade. Cloud touched it - ice cold, like the doorknob of his home back in Nibelheim during the depths of winter.

"I'm really going to practice hard with this," she said.  _Damn,_ she smelled fucking delicious. "I'll be able to slice a throat in the blink of an eye."

"That'll be awesome," Cloud encouraged.

"Maybe I can practice on you?" She held the blunt edge of the blade to Cloud's neck, making him swallow thickly. "Want to hit the training room later?"

In these parts, that was code for  _want to hook up after a half-assed attempt at training?_

It was time to go.

"Oh, I'm actually hanging out with Zack Fair tonight. I should probably get going anyway."

As he climbed back down, two girls cleaning their rifles on the floor giggled at them, and Renée said sourly, "Shut up."

"Bye, ladies." Cloud got a chorus of goodbyes back and escaped into the hallway.

Truthfully… Cloud was decently popular around ShinRa. For a 'broken alpha,' it was awfully surprising.

It'd been the opposite in Nibelheim. Where an alpha was supposed to be loud - he was quiet. Aggressive - passive. Excitable - subdued.

The folks back home had very particular, outdated ideas about the ways alphas, betas and omegas were supposed to act. Cloud, who did not fit that mould, was shunned.

So, he'd tried to overcome his faults, turning bitter and so, so angry - he'd swung it all in the opposite direction, trying to be the most assholish, aggressive alpha around.

It hurt to think about those dark, friendless days. He was happier now, being just… who he was. It was just a happy coincidence that many folks in Midgar seemed to like who he was too. There were tons of people like him out there in the world but he just hadn't met any before joining the military, which tended to attract extremes of every stereotype and those that, well, stray outside them a bit.

* * *

Zack had gotten it into his head that Cloud was the most popular alpha in the Infantry. He even greeted Cloud at the bar that evening that way - standing, opening his arms, and announcing, "Hey, it's the most popular alpha in the Infantry!"

" _Zack,_ " Cloud admonished, stepping in to the hug and letting the SOLDIER squeeze him. Zack was so tall that he could drop his chin on the top of Cloud's head, and he did so.

"I just speak the truth."

Plopping onto the stool beside Zack's, Cloud sighed, "I'm not that popular."

"Would I, the most popular  _beta_  in SOLDIER, be talking to you if you  _weren't_ equally as cool as me?"

Zack had been playfully boasting, but Cloud frowned, looking up at Zack like he might cry. "...I hope so," he said pathetically. "You're my best friend."

Zack's frantic  _I was kidding_ s made Cloud laugh, unable to keep up the act any longer.

"And I dunno about you being the most popular beta either. You've got Angeal to compete with."

Zack flagged down the bartender and handed Cloud a drink - his favorite, gin and tonic. After taking a sip of his own he resumed the conversation. "Angeal doesn't count."

"Uh-huh."

"He just doesn't!" Zack sounded flustered. "You and I, Spike, we're lucky. We appeal to everybody."

For Zack that was certainly true. Betas, about fifty percent of the population, were ideal friends and partners. Generally speaking - and these were  _very_ basic stereotypes - they weren't as knotheaded as alphas or as willful as omegas. The kinds of pheromones they gave off invited companionship, safety, understanding. There was a saying about how everyone fell hard for a beta at least once.

In Cloud's case most other alphas did not find him to be a terrible threat and did not try to knock heads with him. Omegas felt safe around him, sure that Cloud was talking to the real them, and not just suffering their company because he wanted to knot them. (That was largely due to being raised by a single female omega his whole life, and experiencing firsthand how terrible self-arrogant alphas could be to omegas and to women sometimes.)

Cloud  _definitely_ wasn't everyone's choice of partner. A lot of people really wanted the kind of alpha Cloud just couldn't be - someone to snarl at anyone who would glance at their mate, who was aggressive and possessive, the type to hold you down and fuck you full of cum and all that stuff.

True, he  _did_ have some admirers in a romantic sense, but as far as friends went… just about everybody liked Cloud. Or, at the very least:

"You don't have any haters."

Zack leaned in, then, now on his third drink. Cloud's breath caught, like it always did when Zack got too close -  _dammit,_ Zack. "And if you do," he said dangerously, "I'll beat 'em up for ya."

"Thanks," Cloud said, smiling shakily. He sipped at his cold drink to cool down.

"By the way," Zack said, grinning widely, "I totally smelled you when you came in the door."

"What!" Cloud's head whipped to the side. "Really?"

"Yup." Zack leant in and inhaled deep,  _scenting_ Cloud in public like it wasn't even A Thing, and nodded. "Trees! And like… sap?"

"Dude." Cloud's cheeks hurt from smiling. Betas, unlike alphas and omegas, couldn't just immediately smell someone who wasn't wearing blockers - they had to get close to them first and form some kind of bond. If Zack could smell him now - that was good!

With fake watery eyes and a hand clenched in his shirt, Zack warbled dramatically, "We've come so far since I first took you out to that bar…"

"...Speaking of. Is that why you invited me out today?"

Zack froze, then looked a bit guilty. "Mmmaybe."

They turned around on their stools to face the bar, and they waited.

It did not take long.

They got close in the first place because Zack, after realizing how Cloud worked, had invited him out so Cloud be his wingman. Yeah, Cloud had helped Zack score quite a number of hookups, but they were real friends now.

A woman approached them. Cloud smiled politely; Zack offered a more suave grin. "Having a good night?" The - sniff - alpha asked. She spoke to Cloud, not to Zack.

"Mm," he agreed. "The music's been good."

She leaned into his space a little more, and already Cloud knew this was not going to work for him. He gave Zack the signal behind his back and Zack said, "We're actually waiting for someone, so…"

Even the most knotheaded alpha did not mess with a famous First Class. Zack's short sleeves showed his muscular arms; his previous grin was now a frown.

With a brief, awkward apology, the woman left. Cloud turned, thunked his elbows down on the counter, and sighed, "Sorry, Zack. I'm not feelin' it tonight."

"What's up?" Zack looked concerned, his glowing eyes trying to catch Cloud's.

"It's…" This feeling had been building for awhile. "It just gets annoying."

Zack read between the lines. "She was the really intense kind of alpha, huh?"

"Yeah."

The ones who got off on dominating other alphas, who were only interested in fucking him for the novelty of it. Sure, alphas mated with other alphas all the time, but it was a bit rarer. (Both Cloud's parents had been omegas.) The worst, though, were the opportunistic omegas.

Dominating an alpha? That was one of the most common kinks out there, and well - Cloud and all the other more chill alphas out there seemed like easy bait.

"This is going to sound really pathetic," Cloud said, already cringing, "But I wish I could find more people like you, who like me for… me, I guess."

"Aww. Spike." Zack gently punched his shoulder. "Seriously - you've got lots of people like that, I think. Forget sex - but you have a lot of friends, yeah? They like you for you."

Cloud thought of all the guys back in his bunk room. Yeah… they did. He nodded, Zack gave his shoulder a squeeze, and to change the topic Cloud said, "So you think I'm the least, uh, 'hated' alpha in the Infantry - what about SOLDIER? Who's the most popular alpha?"

"Genesis, duh."

"I'd believe it." Many of Cloud's friends were in Red Leather.

"And the most popular  _omega_ in SOLDIER…"

"Sephiroth," they said in unison.

Without question.

"What's he like?" Cloud asked, casually, to not arouse suspicion.

Zack flagged down the bartender for another drink. "...Awesome," he decided on. Cloud knew they were close. "Really. He's a good guy. Well - he's actually kind of a dick, but like, in his own way? Which I like?"

Just this little bit of information had Cloud quaking a little bit already.

"He's kinda like you," Zack decided. "He doesn't like it when people are into him for the wrong reasons."

Woah… like Cloud? His motivation - his crush?

"R-Really?"

Zack studied him. "Yeah," he said, smiling slowly. "Maybe I'll introduce you someday."

The thought was a little terrifying.


	2. Chapter 2

Even a short trip to the grocery store could turn out badly.

Just outside the door to the Nibelheim general store sat one of the locals, a man with a full red beard and mean, deep-set eyes. Cloud, four (and a half!) years old, clung tightly to his mom's hand.

They'd tried to get inside but he'd stopped them with a drunken burp and a slur.

It wasn't until this moment that Cloud actually  _got it_. Yeah, he knew that his family wasn't the most popular in town, but this time he was able to look back and forth between the alpha before them, spitting cruel words, and his mother, uncowed, squeezing Cloud's hand, her body protecting him from the man's cutting gaze, and  _understand._

Cloud cried the whole walk home. They'd decided to go get their groceries tomorrow instead. When they were in the door his mom finally let go of Cloud's hand, slumping into a chair at the table.

"Mama," Cloud said, wiping his eyes as he got closer. That man's insults still rang in his ears. Many people in town had always been mean to them but now Cloud, he - he felt it, the cut of those words. He hugged his mom, pressing his grubby face to her sweater, and he squeezed as hard as he could. "What's wrong with being an omega?"

His mom wasn't cruel to anybody. She was nice. She baked good birthday cakes and tucked him in at night and was brave when people said mean things to them in town. What was the problem?

Ms. Strife hauled Cloud up into her lap, even though he boasted about being a big boy these days. She cradled Cloud's face, wiping under his eyes with her thumbs. "Nothing," she said seriously. "Baby, being an omega is a  _wonderful_ thing."

"But why does he hate you so much?"

It wasn't just that guy, either. Nibelheim had always been hostile to the Strifes.

His mom guided his head to her shoulder, and Cloud closed his eyes, relaxing against her. "Some people," she said slowly, "Have bad and wrong ideas about what omegas should be like. Some people… think it's wrong for omegas to go to work and have a job, or even raise their awesome son by themselves."

Cloud smiled into the fabric of her sweater, nuzzling his face deeper into it. "That's stupid."

"Omegas can do anything alphas and betas can do," she said firmly, stroking her hand down his back. "Your dad worked on the reactors, and he did a wonderful job. Your grandma had her own store, Cloud - she fixed clothes that got ripped up."

His dad - a small twinge of sadness hit Cloud. She didn't often talk about him; Cloud understood that he'd left them before Cloud had been born. But his grandma… he always loved hearing stories about his mom's parents.

"You want to know something cool?"

Cloud sat up fully on her thighs, tilting his head. She continued, "Both your parents are omegas. Both your grandparents are omegas. On your dad's side, too, both  _his_ mom and dad were omegas."

"Wow."

"And you know what?  _My_ grandparents, your great-grandparents…" She leant in close, "Both of them were omegas too. And we all made it possible for you to be born, so omegas have to be pretty awesome, right?"

"Right," Cloud said, nodding. "Will I be an omega too?"

"I think so." She smiled at him. "I think it's just a weird little Strife thing, that we all are. But I want you to remember what I said, about how being an omega doesn't mean you're less important than an alpha. The alphas and betas around here don't know what they're talking about."

Years later, at twelve, when puberty finally made him present, and he was an  _alpha,_ of all things, he and his mom had both stared at each other, gobsmacked, not sure what to  _do_ since for years they'd both assumed that Cloud would be an omega like the rest of his family.

* * *

The memory of the stunned few days after that made Cloud smile, even though his feet ached and he was half-asleep on his feet. That was the thing about being under the plate; the artificial sun lamps were okay and all, but it wasn't real sun, and his body never knew quite how to handle these long patrol shifts down there.

It could have been midnight; it could have been ten in the morning. Cloud's shift was over at five a.m., so he really hoped it wasn't actually ten. He peeked at his PHS - three forty-five, thank goodness - and swept his eyes carefully over the streets as he passed down them.

A good number of people, even here, in one of the better Sectors, did not like ShinRa. Cloud's iconic blue infantry uniform made him a target, and the recipient of many an unsubtle glare as he passed by, but by now he was used to it. He wasn't here to care about that - he was here to protect people, and that's what he did.

Just past four, the last hour where the very ends of the bar and club crowd would drag themselves home, Cloud passed a trash-strewn alley between two buildings. The three people halfway down it reeked - two of aggression, and one of annoyance and a fair amount of fear.

That made sense - dancing usually made people sweat away their blockers, after all, if they were wearing them, sticks of product like deodorant used to mute someone's scent somewhat.

"Don't be like that," came a voice, slightly-slurred, definitely drunk.

"Fuck off," snapped another voice, a woman's. An omega.

Cloud pressed a button on the side of his PHS to ping to any infantry nearby, alerting them he was going to engage. He got these pings all the time himself - it was when someone sent two or three in quick succession that they really needed backup.

"Excuse me," Cloud said, curt, walking over briskly as he smacked the light pinned to his lapel. It wasn't strong, but it illuminated the three of them. Two men, alphas. One had his hand on the woman's shoulder, and she shrugged it off.

"Ma'am, are they bothering you? May I intervene? I'm ShinRa security."

It was pressed into them time and time again that they had to get consent to help whenever possible, especially with so many enemies of the company lurking about.

"Whatever," grumbled the woman, sidestepping them and fleeing the alley entirely, wobbling on her heels. She was intoxicated too, but she seemed unharmed. Cloud did not chase her - a lot of omegas didn't like receiving help from alphas even in situations like this, finding it patronizing, and Cloud had to remember that.

"IDs, fellas."

The closer of the two men puffed out his chest, his scent going acrid as he postured aggressively. "Don't have it," he shot back, "Why don't you just get lost? We didn't do anything."

Cloud glanced at the buildings on either side. "You would have needed it to get into  _Phase Three."_ The bar to the right closed two hours ago, Cloud knew, so it was highly likely they'd just come from the one on the left, which closed at four.

Cloud was no fucking stranger to alphas trying to intimidate him - he widened his stance, straightened his shoulders, and looked them both in the eyes. "Come on. IDs,  _now,_ or I'm getting your info from the security camera over there and you're in deeper shit than you are now."

Grumbling, the two men threw their IDs at him, making them land in the wet sludge on the ground. Cloud did not remove his eyes from them as he picked up the badges. He scanned the backs with his PHS, running the numbers through their database.

"Mr. Han," he said, addressing the nearer of the two alphas, "You have a clean record, so this is a warning. Mr. Nguyen - you have two points already for public intoxication, so this is a third. Five points requires you visit your local Sector's court house, so please be careful."

They both grit their teeth as Cloud bade them a polite farewell, but they did not curse him out or worse, try to get physical.

The remaining hour of his shift was uneventful, and on his way back to HQ he ran into a buddy of his, Chidike, who looked even more exhausted than Cloud felt.

"Rough night?" Cloud asked, sitting beside him on the train that would take them back to the Tower.

Chidike groaned, letting his shaved head flop back onto the seat. "Like you wouldn't believe. Got a couple of dudes who tried to gang up on me."

"I'm betting you kicked their asses."

"Obviously." Chidike flashed a gummy grin. Omegas had it the worst, as some folks  _really_ didn't want one ordering them around. Women omegas especially had a hard time in security or law enforcement. Luckily, every girl Cloud knew at ShinRa was awesome, and they deserved every bit of respect the citizens of Midgar had to offer.

"I called in transport and we got 'em all cuffed. I'm beat."

They sat there tiredly, spacing out as the train rumbled above the Plate. It was - what - five fifteen in the morning?

"I have drills at eight," Cloud muttered darkly.

"Fuck, dude."

"Yeah." Cloud yawned, which made CHidike yawn, and they chuckled quietly to each other. Misery really did love company. "You wanna go to the cafeteria when you get back?"

"I would, but I got a Keepers of Honor thing with my friends who just got off patrol. You have the same schedule next week?"

They made plans to catch breakfast together the next time they were half-asleep returning from a patrol and separated in the Tower lobby.

Numbly, Cloud grabbed a hearty breakfast and protein shake from the always-open cafeteria. He stood, a little dazed, by the tables, and blinked at a waving arm.

It was a couple of the alpha guys he bunked with, and a few of their classmates, and they wanted him to join.

"Hey," Cloud said as he sat down, immediately getting a noogie from Imran.

"We all survived another night on the Midgar streets," announced a redheaded girl opposite Cloud, raising her own nasty protein shake, which looked like it had a bit of a glittery potion or ether mixed in. Everyone clinked their glasses together, trading stories from their patrols and debating which sectors were the best and worst to be assigned to.

That sort of stuff - and of course, gossip.

"Where's Tom?" someone on Cloud's right asked, looking around. "He's usually here when the rest of you clowns are here."

It looked like the two on the end - Cloud recognized both boys from his drilling last winter - had been waiting for someone to notice this guy Tom's absence all meal.

"Tom Moss," announced a guy with shaggy blondish hair, "Met his True Mate on patrol tonight."

Immediately - groans from a few people at the table and coos or happy exclamations from the others. Cloud stayed quiet, chewing his bacon.

"Dude, that's not real."

The other boy who had witnessed everything shook his head and vehemently exclaimed, "I swear on the entire Planet, it really happened. One minute Tom's just walking next to us, talking like normal, and then he goes quiet and starts staring all freakishly at this Alpha who'd just come out of a restaurant across the street."

"Who's also staring at him," The other boy added.

"Yeah, and I  _know_ Tom's on suppressants but the next thing I know,  _woah,_ Tom's reeking like he's in heat and he staggers across the street and she meets him halfway and they start kissing right then and there-"

"Eww," calls the redheaded girl who'd toasted the shakes earlier. "I don't need to think about Moss like that."

A skeptic across from Cloud says, "Coincidence."

At the other end, a girl says, "True Mates are totally a thing. My parents insist they're made for each other. They're both betas, but they could scent each other right away - they didn't have to wait for a bond at all."

The boy on Cloud's right elbows him and tilts his head; Cloud shrugs, not really sure where he stands on the whole debate. True Mates sure  _sounds_ nice, but yeah, smelling someone and knowing that you're like, soulmates? It was a little creepy, honestly.

As the table continued to bicker about it, warmth curled in Cloud's stomach and around his heart. Belonging - having friends - it was so damn nice. The Cloud in Nibelheim hadn't known this feeling. It stayed with him through his meal, through the power nap he and his bunkmates had, and through their drills, everyone of them groaning pathetically.

It died, however, when he got a text from Zack Fair that evening, and was replaced with panic.

_Hey Spike. Would you wanna hang with Angeal, Seph, Genesis and I tomorrow night? They're all free and I figure it's about time you met my friends :-)_


End file.
